DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
MPHIL AND PHD IN SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
PROGRAMME HANDBOOK
2014-2015
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Contents
_____________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
The Department of Anthropology ....................................................................... 1
Areas of interest .................................................................................................. 1
Links .................................................................................................................... 3
The Department of Anthropology Seminar Series .............................................. 4
THE MPhil AND PhD IN SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY ...................................... 4
Qualifications for entry ....................................................................................... 5
Application procedure ......................................................................................... 5
Selection procedure ............................................................................................. 5
Duration ............................................................................................................... 5
Term dates and attendance requirements ............................................................ 6
Tier 4 Visa Holders ............................................................................................. 6
Induction.............................................................................................................. 7
The MPhil programme ........................................................................................ 7
The PhD programme ........................................................................................... 7
Combining the M.Res. and the MPhil or PhD .................................................... 7
Schedule of work ................................................................................................. 8
Supervision .......................................................................................................... 9
The research proposal........................................................................................ 11
End of First Stage Review ................................................................................. 11
Ethics Clearance ............................................................................................... 12
Transfer from M.Res. to MPhil or PhD registration ......................................... 12
Post-field Review of Candidates (Annual Review of Progress) ....................... 13
The Anthropology Research Speakers’ Seminar .............................................. 14
Postgraduate students’ writing-up seminar ....................................................... 14
Generic research skills training ......................................................................... 14
The STAR Programme ...................................................................................... 14
The Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences ............................................. 15
Aberdeen-St Andrews Joint Postgraduate Training Workshops ....................... 14
Guidance and support ........................................................................................ 14
Research Facilities............................................................................................. 16
Language tuition ................................................................................................ 16
Teaching assistance ........................................................................................... 16
Extensions to study period and late submissions (past 36 months) .................. 17
Regulations concerning the submission and examination of theses, and the
award of the degree ........................................................................................... 20
ANTHROPOLOGY STAFF AND CONTACT DETAILS .............................. 23
Programme Directors ........................................................................................ 23
Head of Department .......................................................................................... 24
Departmental Staff ............................................................................................ 24
Anthropologists in other Departments .............................................................. 24
Secretarial and administrative staff ................................................................... 25
Anthropology staff and their interests ............................................................... 25
Further information ...............................................................................................
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1.1
Introduction
The Department of Anthropology
Teaching and research in anthropology commenced at the University of Aberdeen in
1999. In 2002, with the reorganisation of the University into Schools and Colleges,
Anthropology became a Department within the School of Social Science, part of the
College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS). In building a programme of
anthropological research we have combined excellence in our specialist fields with a
broader commitment to the comparative study of culture and social life. In RAE 2008,
we presented our activity as having been concentrated in two complementary themes:
Anthropology of the North and Culture, Creativity and Perception. This latter theme
comprised two strands: respectively Histories of Material Culture and Creativity of
Practice. Capitalising on developments in staffing since 2008, we now recognise
these strands as distinct themes, and in 2010 we launched a fourth theme, on Religion,
Belief and Practice.
Anthropology of the North
Aberdeen lies at the hub of a region that extends eastwards to the Nordic and Baltic
countries and to northern Russia, and westwards to Iceland, Greenland, Canada and
Alaska. Our objective has been to make the Department the principal centre for
anthropological research in this region. Today, we have the largest concentration of
anthropologists working in the circumpolar North within the UK and one of the
largest internationally. Our current research centres on issues of: (1) sustainable
development and resource co-management; (2) indigenous rights and governance; (3)
movement, narrative and environmental perception; (4) dwelling, household
organisation and residence; (5) oral tradition and cultural revitalisation; (6)
transnational migration and diasporic communities in Scotland, Canada and Siberia,
and (7) human-animal relations and histories of domestication.
Histories of Material Culture
Drawing on the resources of the University’s Marischal Museum, we are investigating
how the histories of artefacts and of persons are conjoined in the creation and
perception of material objects. This work is yielding innovative methodologies for the
study of artefacts, along with new ways of thinking about museums in contemporary
society. It has also led to international collaborations between anthropologists,
historians, museum ethnographers, craftspeople and artists. We are interested in
museum collections and their potential for education and building relationships with
source communities, in the production, installation and effects of public art and
sculpture, and in issues of intellectual property, inscription, and technological change.
Creativity of Practice
Our Creativity and Practice Research Group owes its foundation to a 2002-05
AHRB-funded project, culminating in the 2005 ASA Conference on Creativity and
Cultural Improvisation. The Group’s work has since expanded to encompass the links
between anthropology, art and architecture, with an emphasis on the formation of
places, paths, landscapes and environments. We aim to establish an anthropological
approach to creativity and perception that (1) brings together processes of making,
observing and describing; (2) focuses on the circulations of materials entailed in the
growth and dissolution of things; (3) explores the generative dynamics of
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improvisatory practice, and (4) considers the potential of a graphic anthropology,
centred on drawing, which would reconnect observation and description. We are also
pioneering the new field of Design Anthropology.
Religion, Belief and Practice
This newly developing theme focuses on four topics: (1) the continuing power and
relevance of shamanistic cosmologies and practices for contemporary people; (2) the
kinds of moral reasoning that people employ in coming to an understanding of their
own selfhood; (3) the ways in which people are bound to the land through religious
belief, ritual practice and cosmology, and (4) the relations between religious practice
and the power of the state. Working with colleagues in Divinity and Religious
Studies, we are seeking to forge a more symmetrical relation between anthropology
and theology, which would acknowledge the ontological and ethical force of religious
commitment in structuring our own anthropological inquiries. Our work in this theme
is distributed in ethnographic fields as diverse as Uzbekistan, Tibet and Kamchatka.
The research environment outside the department.
Anthropology research at Aberdeen also benefits from collaboration with colleagues
across the university.
Besides those staff working in the Department of
Anthropology, there are anthropologists working in other departments and units of the
University, including Dr Will Tuladhar-Douglas in the School of Divinity, History
and Philosophy, and Dr Trevor Stack in the School of Language & Literature. A
cornerstone of our research environment are the resources of the University of
Aberdeen’s museums and archival collections, which include internationally
important ethnographic artefacts and documentary sources. The Department enjoys
close research links with the Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability
(ACES), the Elphinstone Institute, the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies,
and other Departments in and beyond the College of Arts and Social Sciences,
including Archaeology, Geography and Environment, Property, and Plant & Soil
Science, and particularly the departments of History, Politics & International
Relations (which includes the Nordic Policy Studies Centre), the School Language &
Literature. The Aberdeen Northern Studies Centre began as part of the Aberdeen
Research Consortium, which included the Macaulay Institute for Land Use Research
and the former Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Banchory. We are currently
restructuring the Northern Studies Centre around growing collaboration between the
Departments of Anthropology and Archaeology.
1.2
Areas of interest
The Department presently has 14 full-time staff, in addition to post-doctoral research
fellows and over thirty doctoral students. We can offer research supervision in most
areas of social anthropology, and our particular strengths are in the areas listed below.
Some of these themes are ongoing projects that members of the Department of
Anthropology are carrying out.
Anthropology of the North
Colonial histories and indigenous rights
Paths, roads and mobility
Home, hearth and household in the circumpolar North
Narrative, knowledge, time and memory
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Environment
Environmental anthropology and nature conservation
Human-animal relations
Anthropological perspectives on energy
The perception of the environment
Creativity and Knowledge
Anthropology, archaeology, art and architecture
Craft, skill, improvisation and performance
Indigenous media, oral traditions and the making of culture
Knowledge production, creativity and intellectual property
Museums, collections and material histories
Design anthropology
Science, technology and medicine
Lines, drawing and inscription
Anthropology and dance
Religion, Politics and Practice
Ritual and politics in the contemporary world
Religion, belief and practice in Islam
Religion, state and landscape in Tibet
Ritual communication and shamanic cosmologies
Death, monuments and memorials
Social and Cultural Processes
Politics and the state
Post-socialist societies
Morality
Language, society and identity
Evolutionary theory
Phenomenological perspectives on place and landscape
Memory and forgetting
Regional Anthropology
The Circumpolar North
The Andes
Central Asia
Tibet
Scotland and Europe
1.3
Links
The Postgraduate Programme is closely linked with:

Aberdeen University’s Marischal Museum, offering considerable scope for
research especially in the field of material culture studies. Although Marischal
Museum is now closed to the public, its collections are accessible to
researchers. King’s Museum has recently opened on campus to display items
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from the collections and changing exhibitions.

The Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability, a crossdisciplinary environmental research centre working in partnership between the
University of Aberdeen and the James Hutton Institute. By collaborating with
academics and members of the policy, practitioner and business communities,
it works to promote interest and engagement in interdisciplinary research on
issues related to environmentally sustainability.

A range of other Schools and Departments across the university, such as the
School of Language and Literature, the Department of Archaeology, the
School of Education, as well as Department of Anthropology’s home in the
School of Social Science. Many staff across the university have skills and
interests relevant to Anthropology, and often work in collaboration with us.
1.4
The Department of Anthropology Seminar Series
Apart from courses and seminars for students, as detailed below, the Department of
Anthropology organises a weekly staff and postgraduate seminar to which visiting
speakers are invited, as well as occasional lectures by distinguished academic visitors.
Full details of the seminar series can be accessed on the Department’s website. All
M.Res. students are required to attend these events, and all other postgraduate
students are strongly encouraged to attend.
Additional events are organised by the School of Social Science and the College of
Arts and Social Sciences, including the College Postgraduate Conference which is run
by students and is held in June of each year. For information on these and other
events, students should regularly check their email, the website for the Graduate
School (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cass/graduate//) and also consult the M.Res. notice
board which is located in the corridor of the first floor of the Edward Wright
Building, directly opposite the School of Social Science office.
1.5
Postgraduate students’ research seminar
This research seminar is intended for post-fieldwork PhD students who are in the
writing-up phase of the programme. It allows them to connect with fellow students
and offer feedback on each other’s drafts of chapters. The programme of seminars
should be organised by students and the PhD Programme Coordinator, Dr Nancy
Wachowich, will serve as staff liaison. Pre-fieldwork research students may also
attend, subject to the agreement of the post-fieldwork students.
THE MPhil AND PHD IN SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Qualifications for entry
Students with an undergraduate degree in anthropology or a cognate discipline
normally commence their postgraduate studies with the one-year M.Res. programme
in Social Anthropology. Having completed this programme, they can then transfer to
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the MPhil or the PhD. The conditions and procedures of transfer are explained below
(see p.11). Details of the M.Res. are set out in the M. Res Programme Handbook.
However students who, prior to their admission, have already received appropriate
research training in anthropology at a postgraduate level may proceed directly to the
MPhil or PhD. Such students may nevertheless be advised to audit particular
components of the M.Res. Programme, if this is considered appropriate to their
training needs.
Application procedure
Applications should be made to the University’s Postgraduate Registry using the
appropriate form (obtained from the University’s web site, see
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ /postgraduate/apply.php). Applications are accepted at any
time throughout the year. In order to be accepted to start the programme in the
autumn, applications should be received by the end of the preceding April. In order to
be considered for funding, applications must be received well before then.
Selection procedure
Applications are evaluated on the following criteria:
 Evidence of academic excellence, from transcripts and letters of reference,
brief statement of research intentions (proposal) and writing sample.
 A research interest in an area in which we are able to offer adequate
supervision
 Evidence that the applicant has either secured or applied for funding for their
term of study

If one or more of the above criteria are not fulfilled, applicants can also be given
conditional offers (for example acceptance may be dependent on successful
completion of a degree, improvement to the requisite level of language scores), or
be offered an MRes and can apply for a subsequent PhD depending on their
results.
Applicants are strongly advised, before submitting their applications, to consult the
list of members of staff and their interests (see pp.24-28 of this Handbook). Further
information on the research profiles of staff, and of the Department as a whole, is
available on the Departmental website at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/anthropology. It is in
applicants’ best interests that they initiate a dialogue with a potential supervisor,
either by email or by visiting in person, prior to applying. This is especially important
if the potential supervisor’s help and support are needed in any application for
funding.
Duration
The duration of the MPhil programme is 24 months full-time, and that of the PhD
course in 36 months full-time. Unless exempted by virtue of qualification or
experience from the whole programme or from components of it, part-time students
are expected to complete the same programme as full-time students. However the
duration of part-time study is twice that for full-time study (minimally 42 months for
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the MPhil and 60 months for the PhD). In exceptional circumstances, it is possible for
students to transfer, within the course of their studies, from full-time to part-time
status or vice versa. The overall period of study is then calculated pro rata.
Term dates and attendance requirements
The academic year is divided into two half-sessions. The first half-session runs from
the last Monday in September through the end of January (with a 3-week winter break
for Christmas). The second half-session runs from February to the first week in June
(with a 3-week spring break for Easter). Unless they have leave to study off campus
(see below), and barring the winter and spring breaks, registered students are expected
to be in present in Aberdeen throughout these periods. Students commencing their
studies must be present in the University by the first day of teaching. They are
strongly advised, however, to arrive one week prior to the start of the session.
Most doctoral students in social anthropology spend at least a year away from the
University in order to undertake ethnographic fieldwork or related research. All such
periods of absence have to be approved by the supervisor(s), Head of Department and
College Postgraduate Officer. Permission to begin fieldwork is dependent upon
satisfactory completion of a Research Project Proposal, either through completion of
an MRes dissertation or a Ph.D. Research Proposal and successful End of First stage
Review (see pp. 8-9). When not conducting fieldwork, postgraduate students are
expected to be in residence at the University of Aberdeen, contributing to the
intellectual life of the department.
Tier 4 Visa Holders
Students holding Tier 4 visas (that is, those from outside the European Union) must
be aware of those UK Borders Agency regulations that apply to them, and abide by
them. Breach of these regulations may result in the termination of your studies,
deportation and the fining of the University. While the specifics of UKBA regulations
change from time to time, three overarching principles generally apply, and we would
ask you to abide by them carefully:
(i) Tier 4-holding students should co-operate with any class monitoring for
your courses and inform the School should you need to miss any planned
classes or meetings with university representatives – particularly those at
the beginning of your studies. You may also be asked to sign periodically at
the School Office.
(ii) Tier 4-holding students should inform the University (most usually, through
the School of Social Science Office in Edward Wright Building) of their
correct term-time address, and of their planned whereabouts should they
leave Aberdeen. In case of departures of more than one week, please
complete the School of Social Science Postgraduate Research Student
Holiday/Off-Campus form and have your supervisor sign it.
(iii) Tier 4-holding students should be aware of their visa conditions regarding
work outside studies (including tutoring) and abide by them.
(iv) Tier- 4 students should keep a record of all supervisory meetings.
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Should you have any questions regarding the specifics of UKBA regulations, please
ask at the School Office.
Induction
All new MPhil and PhD. students are expected to meet with their prospective
supervisors during the first week of term. The purpose of this meeting is to make an
initial assessment of the student’s training needs, to confirm any courses to be taken,
to agree an overall schedule of work for the programme as a whole and, where two or
more supervisors are involved, to determine the optimal division of supervisory
functions between them. Our principles of supervisory practice are set out in more
detail below (see pp. 11-12).
There will also be an induction programme for all new research postgraduates in the
College of Arts and Social Sciences. The purpose of this event will be to introduce
students to one another, to identify key people in the University who can offer help
and support, and to provide an opportunity to meet existing students and learn about
their experiences of research. Further details of this event will be circulated.
The MPhil programme
The MPhil is a 2-year programme of research, by the end of which candidates should
be able to demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge and understanding in the field
of Social Anthropology. The programme leads to the submission of a dissertation of
up to 70,000 words, which should make a contribution to knowledge and afford
evidence of originality and independence of approach. The dissertation is normally
based on library research, drawing on secondary sources, though some element of
first-hand fieldwork may also be entailed. It is not however based on long-term
ethnographic fieldwork.
The PhD programme
The PhD is a 3-year programme of research by the end of which candidates should be
able to demonstrate that they are capable of pursuing original research in Social
Anthropology in a critical and scholarly way. The programme leads to the submission
of a dissertation of up to 100,000 words, which should make a distinct contribution to
knowledge and afford evidence of originality as shown by the exercise of independent
critical powers. In Social Anthropology the dissertation is normally (though not
necessarily) based on the results of long-term ethnographic fieldwork, along with
archival research and library-based studies. Students are reviewed annually, and their
ability to proceed is dependent on that review.
Combining the M.Res. and the MPhil or PhD
As noted above (see ‘Qualifications for entry’), all students in Social Anthropology
who have not already received training in research methods at a postgraduate level
must register in the first instance for the one-year M.Res. programme in Social
Anthropology.
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For students intending to proceed with research for the MPhil or PhD, the options
available on finishing the M.Res. are either:
a)
to complete the M.Res., be awarded that degree, and apply to resume studies
at the University for an MPhil (normally taking a further two years though
earlier submission is possible) or a PhD (normally taking a further three years
although completion within a further two years is possible).
or:
b)
at the end of the M.Res. year, apply for transfer to MPhil or PhD registration.
If the application is supported by the student’s supervisory committee and
accepted by the University, the new status will be backdated to the start of the
M.Res. year. In such cases the M.Res. is not formally awarded but an
academic transcript will indicate courses taken and grades achieved.
MRes Social Anthropology students intending to continue to a higher research degree
(MPhil or PhD) must achieve the award of the MRes with Commendation or
Distinction in both coursework and dissertation. Final decisions concerning transfer
from M.Res. to MPhil or PhD. registration are taken by the student’s supervisory
committee after the dissertation or research proposal is completed. These decisions
are based on the quality of the student’s work to date including the requirement for
the achievement of the MRes with Commendation or Distinction, and the committee’s
assessment of the student’s future progress.
Schedule of work
The programme of work for both MPhil and PhD can be divided into three stages. In
the first stage students follow a programme of training in preparation for their main
project of research, and prepare a research proposal. The second stage is devoted to
the collection and preliminary analysis of the necessary primary and/or secondary
material. The third stage is to complete the analysis and to write up and submit the
thesis for examination.
All students should agree a schedule of work with their supervisor(s) at the outset of
their studies, with milestones for completion of the first, second and third stages.
These should be kept under continual review, and adjusted as necessary
Stage 1 (with proposed changes)
The precise schedule of work will depend on whether a student has commenced with
the M.Res. or been admitted directly to the MPhil or PhD programmes, and also, in
the former case, on whether the student follows option (a) above (the so-called 1+2 or
1+3 model) or option (b). In all cases, however, every student intending to proceed to
the MPhil or PhD is expected, by the end of the first stage of study, to have completed
all components of preliminary research training, as identified by their supervisor(s),
and to have produced a substantial research proposal that has been formally assessed.
For M.Res. students, this proposal can be equivalent to their Master’s dissertation,
and can be assessed as such. Its completion approval is therefore one of the
preconditions for continuation to the MPhil or PhD under both options (a) and (b)
above. University regulations require that MRes coursework grades and the
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dissertation be in the degree class of an Upper Second or First (15 and over) in order
for the student to be allowed to proceed to the PhD. For PhD students, completion and
formal approval of the research proposal is a prerequisite to proceeding to the
subsequent stages of the research.
All Doctoral students, both those admitted directly into the PhD programme and those
continuing on from the M.ReS are not considered to have progressed on to Stage 2
(the fieldwork phase) unless or until their detailed research proposal has been
approved as part of the End of First Stage, Pre-fieldwork Review process (see p. 10).
A separate ethics clearance is also required before beginning any research involving
living people or their physical remains.
All PhD students are required to audit the first and second semester AT5024:
Philosophy and methods of research in social anthropology 1 and AT5524:
Philosophy and methods of research in social anthropology 2. This is a team-taught
weekly seminar in which the main theoretical currents in anthropology are explored.
Asessment (in the form of essays) from this course contribute to the research
proposal.
Stage 2
Following the first stage of training, most PhD students in Social Anthropology
embark on a period of fieldwork, lasting between 12 and 18 months. The length of
time the student can spend in the field may be conditional on the total period of study,
thus a student following a 1+3 model will have more time than one whose programme
lasts only 3 years overall. Depending on the nature of the fieldwork and the sources of
funding, extensions may be permitted, for example, if a difficult language has to be
learned in the field. It is essential, however, that all such extensions are agreed in
writing with the student’s supervisor(s), and then approved by the Head of
Department and the College Postgraduate Officer. Applications for such extensions
should be made before fieldwork commences.
MPhil students normally undertake only limited fieldwork or none at all, basing their
theses entirely on the analysis of secondary sources. Again the time the student can
devote to the collection and preliminary analysis of material will depend on the
overall length of the programme. A student following a 1+2 model can spend up to 12
months on this stage of the research, whereas a student whose programme lasts only 2
years overall should aim to complete this stage of the work within 6 months.
Stage 3
Doctoral students should allow at least a year, following the completion of their
fieldwork, for the final analysis and writing up of their results, and for preparing their
theses for submission. For MPhil students, this final stage of the research can be
expected to take a minimum of six months.
Part-time students
For part-time MPhil and PhD students, the schedule of work is more flexible, and can
be adjusted to accommodate other demands on their time. However while the stages
of progression are broadly the same as for full-time students, each stage is expected to
take up to twice as long.
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Supervision
Every applicant to the MPhil or PhD. programme is required to submit with their
application a brief statement of their research intentions. This statement (of
approximately 1,200 words) is used, in the first instance, to select appropriate
supervisors. All new students are allocated to supervisors from the very start of their
study programme, and are expected to meet with these supervisors during the first
week of the first term to discuss and agree on the overall programme of study, courses
to be taken, and the respective roles of the supervisors. Any additional training
requirements (such as language learning) are also identified at this time.
It is normal for every research student to have two supervisors. This is partly to
ensure continuity of supervision in case one or other supervisor is absent for a period,
either on research leave or due to other eventualities. The precise division of functions
between supervisors varies from case to case, but is normally agreed through
discussion between both supervisors and the student at the outset of his/her
programme of study. In rare cases it is sufficient for a student to have only one
supervisor (for example, where the studentship is part of a larger project involving
other research staff). Occasionally, where circumstances warrant, a student may be
allocated three supervisors.
Each student has a supervisory committee consisting of his or her supervisor(s), the
Department’s Ph.D. Programme Coordinator and the Head of Department. The
supervisory committee takes all decisions regarding transfer and progression. It also
advises students on submission dates and recommends internal and external
examiners.
A student may change supervisor at any time in the course of his or her programme of
study, in the light of new staff appointments or developing research interests, subject
to the approval of the existing supervisory committee.
Supervisors play a key role, formally and informally, in supporting students. MPhil
and PhD students, unless absent for periods of fieldwork, are expected to meet on a
one-to-one basis with their supervisors, for an average of at least 1-2 hours per
fortnight during term-time and once a month in periods outside term time. For their
part, supervisors are expected to request written work on a regular basis, return such
work with constructive criticism within a time period that does not impede the
student’s progress, advise on when progress or standards of work are below what are
generally expected, and ensure by advice and encouragement that the thesis is
submitted within the allotted time. It is also the responsibility of the supervisor to
monitor the student’s training needs throughout the entire programme, as his/her
project evolves, and to advise accordingly. To meet specific training needs, for
example in specialised computing skills, foreign languages or bibliographic
techniques, several courses and facilities are available from the University’s
Directorate of Information Technology (DIT), the Language Centre, and The Centre
for Academic Development (CAD).
Most doctoral students in Social Anthropology undertake prolonged ethnographic
fieldwork; the principal site for continuing research training is then the field itself.
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During fieldwork, students are expected to remain in regular contact with their
supervisors, so far as this is practically possible, and to send detailed reports and/or
fieldnotes at agreed intervals to which supervisors respond with advice and
recommendations. We encourage supervisors to visit students in the field. If this is not
possible, we may recommend that students return midway through fieldwork for a
brief period of consultation with supervisors.
Supervisory advice in the post-fieldwork period focuses on the following areas:
 the organisation and analysis of field and other primary data
 directions for further library research and reading which become relevant as
the analysis develops
 the presentation and editing of drafts of chapters for eventual incorporation
into the final thesis
 opportunities to disseminate the results of the research through participation in
seminars and conferences
 opportunities for publication
The research proposal
The proposal, to be completed by the end of the first stage, is a substantial piece of
independent research and writing of about 12,000 words, and should set out a
comprehensive programme of work for the projected research. It should include the
following components: a non-technical summary of no more than 1,000 words; a
review of the literature, both theoretical and empirical, in the student’s chosen field of
inquiry; an outline of the specific questions to be addressed, methods to be employed,
and the expected contribution of the study to social anthropological knowledge and
understanding; a discussion of the practical, political and ethical issues affecting the
conduct of the research; a presentation of the schedule for the research, and (where
long-term fieldwork is involved) its estimated budget.
Students are additionally required to discuss any potential health and safety risks they
may face specifically in relation to any proposed fieldwork, and how they would seek
to address these risks. In cases where there are significant health and safety risks
arising from the fieldwork, students may be required to produce written records of the
risk reduction measures that they will implement and agree these with their
supervisor(s), before work commences.
There is no rule prescribing the ordering of sections within a proposal. Students are
free to develop the most appropriate format in discussion with their supervisors. A
common pattern, however, which works well in most cases, is to divide the proposal
into three major sections. The first would comprise a review of theoretical and
comparative literature relevant to the project, while the second would be a discussion
of the relevant regional and ethnographic material. A third, and usually shorter section
would address methodological, ethical and practical issues (including the risk
assessment). The first section should be completed after the first four months of study,
and the second after the first eight months. Combining the first two sections (revised
as necessary) with the third, the final proposal should be complete by the end of the
year. Where the research proposal is not assessed as an MRes dissertation, it will form
the basis of a First stage review.
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End of First Stage, Pre-fieldwork Review
All full-time research students undergo a formal end of first stage review within
approximately 12 months of initial registration. For students initially registered for the
M.Res. this review provides a basis for decisions concerning transfer from M.Res. to
MPhil or PhD registration. For students enrolled on the PhD it is a condition for
proceeding to long-term ethnographic fieldwork. A committee convened by the PhD
Programme Coordinator carries out the review. It is chaired by Head of Department
(or a delegate) and includes two members of staff, normally outside of the supervisory
team. Decisions on student progress are based on the quality of the student’s work to
date, including the research proposal, and an assessment of his or her future progress.
The student must submit a full Ph.D. proposal to the PhD Programme Coordinator,
who will strike a committee and convene an assessment review meeting normally
within three weeks after receipt of the student’s research proposal.
The end of first stage, pre-fieldwork review will assess the student’s capacity to
continue at doctoral level, and the viability of their project in this regard. The
committee will recommend one of three possible outcomes: 1) that the student may
continue their studies at doctoral level and embark on doctoral fieldwork, 2) that the
student may continue their studies, but at MPhil level, 3) that the student may not
continue their studies. In borderline cases, students will be given up to two months
from the date of the meeting to revise and resubmit their proposal, and the committee
will give full advice in this regard.
The pre-fieldwork review meeting should be conducted in person in Aberdeen.
Students are not considered to have the backing of the department until they
successfully complete this stage. Forms for the purposes of fees calculations, offcampus study, visa-regulations and letters of support cannot be provided allowed and
students are not allowed to progress to the PhD or continue as a PhD until this stage is
successfully completed. Students are strongly cautioned not to purchase nontransferrable plane tickets or make other travel plans before the outcome of the review
is known.
Ethics Clearance
The University requires that all research projects be subjected to ethical scrutiny
before work commences. The College Ethics policy and procedure is designed to
meet the requirements of the various funders of arts, humanities and social science
research, and addresses guidance from relevant professional associations as well as
conforming to University policy and guidelines. The School Research Ethics Officer
is Dr. Andrea Oelsner (a.oelsner@abdn.ac.uk) who can provide further advice on the
process of submitting an application for ethical review.
All Primary Investigators (staff or students) are required to complete an ethics
approval form for all research projects (whether or not the project is subject to
external funding) involving live human beings or their earthly remains after death. An
electronic process is being developed that will automatically make Officers aware of
an incoming review and which keeps applicants updated on its progress. As of
September 2011, however, it is necessary to complete a Word .doc version of the
review form and forward it to the appropriate colleague (outlined below) to ensure
15
that review is carried out. The form and detailed instructions can be found on the
CASS website: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cass/research/research-ethics.php. Complete
information and background on Ethics policy and governance at Aberdeen is available
at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ppg/index.php?id=69&top=68.
In tandem with completing a Ph.D. project proposal, the research student should
complete the required ethics forms with advice from his or her supervisor and then
submit the form to the School Ethics Officer for initial scrutiny and forwarding to the
College committee.
Transfer from M.Res. to MPhil or PhD registration
For M.Res. students intending to proceed to the MPhil or PhD, the research proposal
counts as the Master’s dissertation, and is assessed on that basis. Two members of
staff grade the Master’s dissertation; and an external examiner approves the grade
awarded. Final decisions concerning transfer from M.Res. to M.Phil. or to Ph.D.
registration, whether according to options (a) or (b) above (see p. 8), are taken by the
student’s supervisory committee and the PhD Programme Coordinator in light of the
grades assigned to the dissertation and other coursework components of the M.Res.
University regulations require that MRes coursework grades and the dissertation be in
the degree class of an Upper Second or First (15 and over). Students thus
achieve the award of the MRes with Commendation or Distinction in order to transfer
to the PhD.
In exceptional cases, for example where students have to devote a substantial amount
of time during the first stage to learning a foreign language in order to be able to write
the research proposal, specific components of the M.Res. may be deferred to the
second year. In such cases the transfer to M.Phil. registration is confirmed once all
components of the M.Res. have been completed, and is backdated to the start of the
second year.
Where the committee has reason to believe that a student may not be permitted to
transfer, the student will be warned before work on the dissertation commences. In
these cases, a student may be advised against writing their dissertation in the form of
a proposal for future research, and recommended to present it instead as a report on a
completed study embodying original work. The committee may also decide that the
proposal and the student’s progress the following year do not merit upgrade from
MPhil to Ph.D. In such instances, the student will have a further 12 months to finish
their degree at the M.Phil level.
Post-field Review of Ph.D. Candidates (Annual Review of Progress)
All Ph.D. students who have completed fieldwork and begun writing their dissertation
will normally be asked to make a formal presentation to the department within 3
months after returning from the field. This presentation is assessed, but not marked,
resulting in “PASS” or “FAIL” recommendation based on feedback from members of
staff following the presentation.
This oral presentation will be 20-30 minutes. A written version can be circulated three
days before the presentation. The presentation will be followed by 20 minutes of
16
discussion, where staff may ask questions.
This presentation provides Ph.D. candidates with an opportunity to describe the nature
of their data and the trajectory of the argument as stands at the date of the
presentation. The department does not expect a final theoretical analysis at this stage,
nor even a detailed outline of the entire structure of the dissertation. However, the
presentation should be more than just a final field report, and include both
ethnographic data gathered during the fieldwork year and preliminary analysis. What
are some of the generalisations that the candidate sees emerging from the data? What
are some of the specific arguments that will form the core of chapters?
There are two opportunities for post-field presentations and review per academic year,
one in the autumn and one in the spring. The presentations are open to all staff and
students of the department and are chaired by the Ph.D. Programme Coordinator. The
presentation and review must be conducted in person in Aberdeen. Students will have
at least 4 weeks notice of the exact date, and are cautioned not to make travel plans
that may conflict with the annual review.
The Ph.D. programme coordinator will write a very short report of the proceedings,
summarising feedback from staff members. This will to be shared with the student,
his/her supervisors, and placed in the student's file.
The Anthropology Research Speakers’ Seminar
In addition to its formal courses of postgraduate training, the Research and Graduate
Programme in Social Anthropology organises a weekly staff/postgraduate seminar to
which visiting speakers are invited to the department. Full details of the seminar
series will be circulated and will also be available on the department website
(http://www.abdn.ac.uk/anthropology/). All postgraduate students are expected to
attend the Thursday, 3pm lectures and participate in the discussion beginning at 4pm.
Postgraduate students’ writing-up seminar
This research seminar is primarily intended for PhD students who are writing-up and
all postgraduate students are also welcome to attend. Each PhD student in the writingup phase will be invited to present a seminar paper of approximately 30 minutes (or 1
hour if preferred) and two other students will act as discussants for the paper. The
programme of seminars should be organised by students and Ph.D. programme
coordinator will help coordinate a programme when there are enough students in
resident at the post-fieldwork stage. A written copy of the paper should be given to
the discussants at least one week before the seminar and the paper should also be
circulated to those attending the seminar.
The STAR programme
The Scottish Training in Anthropological Research (STAR) programme was set up in
2007 as a consortium including departments of anthropology (or their equivalents) at
the universities of Aberdeen, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The programme
delivers courses and workshops that bring together research students, postdoctoral
researchers and staff from all four institutions, creating the critical mass necessary for
17
intense and productive intellectual exchange. Courses are offered both for research
students undergoing initial training, prior to fieldwork, and for those in the later, postfieldwork phases of analysis and writing-up. They make it possible for students get to
know one another and share their experiences both before they leave for fieldwork
and following their return, allowing them to follow the progress of each other’s work
throughout its development. The advanced (post-fieldwork) courses include master
classes with distinguished anthropologists invited from overseas, which provide
unparalleled opportunities for students to work closely with world-leading figures.
The involvement of postdoctoral and early career researchers alongside with doctoral
students in the advanced courses also helps to smooth the transition from doctoral to
post-doctoral careers, while the involvement of anthropological practitioners working
outside academia (for example in government, international development and
publishing) helps bridge the gap between academic and non-academic sectors,
allowing for the provision of generic skills training that is tailored to the specific
needs and career prospects of doctoral students in anthropology.
All our postgraduate research students are expected to take full advantage of the
STAR programme. Details of the programme vary from year to year, and will be
advertised.
The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science
Established in 2011, the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science is a unique
collaboration between universities in Scotland to make available outstanding research
training to doctoral students in the social sciences. At the heart of the Graduate School
is the Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) in Scotland. Funded by a grant of £20 million
from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the DTC will offer 65
postgraduate studentships per year over the next five years, in all branches of the
social sciences. ESRC-accredited training will be delivered through 24 disciplinary
training pathways. In Social Anthropology, this training is delivered by way of the
STAR programme. For further details, see http://www.socsciscotland.ac.uk/
Guidance and support
Upon arrival, students receive a copy of the University’s Code of Practice for
Postgraduate Research Students, which describes the responsibilities of the Senatus
and its Postgraduate Academic Standards Committee, Schools and supervisors, as
well as the parallel responsibilities of students. The Code of Practice may be viewed
at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix5x4.pdf. It requires supervisors to
identify and meet training needs at all stages of the student’s work. It is the formal
responsibility of the Head of Department to monitor student progress and supervision,
and to ensure that supervisors perform their duties as laid down in the Code.
While the University’s services and facilities relating to student guidance and learner
support are available to all students, it is hoped that research students will develop a
close working relationship with their supervisor(s) in terms of academic guidance and
support. To foster this relationship, the University has put in place two mechanisms in
regard to monitoring the progress of an individual research student and to ensure that,
18
as far as possible, the dissertation is submitted within the student’s registration period.
These mechanisms are described below:
Researcher Development
The Researcher Development Unit at the University of Aberdeen supports personal,
professional and career development. They offer a range of activities and courses
designed to help maximise postgraduate learning opportunities and to foster the
acquisition of a research skills base. Students are strongly encouraged to access
courses at this unit. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/develop/index.php ,
Postgraduate assessment forms
The University requires all postgraduate research students to be assessed at regular
intervals. The forms are moving to an all-electronic system, where they will be
digitally signed by both supervisor and student before being reviewed by School and
College Postgraduate Officers.
Monitoring of supervision and facilities
In addition to the above, a confidential questionnaire seeking research students’ views
on the supervision they received and facilities made available to them during the
previous session was introduced in 1997/98 as part of a central mechanism for
monitoring the quality of supervision and the adequacy of facilities. Information
arising from the questionnaires is collated by the Postgraduate Registry and
considered by the Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate), which will discuss
any areas of concern. The outcome of the survey is then passed to Colleges and
Schools.
The Postgraduate Programmes Committee
The Anthropology Department’s Postgraduate Programmes Committee includes all
members of staff involved in the delivery of postgraduate courses and the supervision
of research students. The Committee meets once per semester to monitor the progress
of all research students, and to advise on issues concerned with supervision
arrangements. This ensures that any potential or actual problems or delays are
promptly identified, and that remedial actions are collectively agreed. We recognise
that circumstances in students’ lives, beyond their or our control, can sometimes delay
completion, and that overly strict enforcement of deadlines in such circumstances can
exacerbate the stress on students, leading only to further delays rather than more
timely completion. Our policy is to handle requests for extensions sympathetically,
when circumstances warrant.
Problems and difficulties
The University aims to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for
postgraduate research students. Nevertheless students do from time to time encounter
academic problems and difficulties. These are raised in the first instance with the
19
supervisor(s), but if this is not appropriate a student may consult the PhD Programme
Coordinator or the Head of Department. Particularly if the PhD Programme
Coordinator or the Head of Department are also supervisors, the student may wish to
contact the School Postgraduate Research Officer, or the College Postgraduate Officer
(via the University Postgraduate Registry). When a student’s research interests
diverge from what was originally intended it might be appropriate to be allocated to a
new supervisor: again the correct approach is to discuss the situation with the current
supervisor, then the Programme Coordinator and Head of Department, and then the
School or College Postgraduate Officer if necessary.
Research Facilities
All postgraduate research students are provided with shared office space located,
when possible, within the School of Social Science. They have computer access
suitable for the needs of their research work and are supplied with the appropriate
software packages. Technical training in the use of specific programmes will be
provided as necessary. All students have full access to the University Library and all
other appropriate facilities. The Department of Information Technology provides
training and documentation in the use of library and computing facilities which
students are required to attend. Students have access to telephone, electronic mail and
other mail facilities.
MRes/PhD student photocopying costs have been set at an annual allowance for
copying of £50. Students undertaking teaching activities will be allocated up to a
further £20 annually to cover copying costs associated with their teaching. Costs
incurred thereafter would be charged to the individuals concerned.
Research students in social anthropology with interests in material culture can benefit
from access to the substantial collections and facilities of the University’s Kings
Museums. In addition, the Department has a multimedia work-station with equipment
for working with photographic, audio and video materials.
Any students requiring special assistance with facilities, or having special needs,
should contact the School of Social Science Administrator, Pam Thomson, Edward
Wright Building (F46), Phone 2275, email pam.thomson@abdn.ac.uk.
Language tuition
The University Language Laboratories offer tuition in a large number of languages.
There are also intensive courses in English for those students for whom it is not their
first language.
Teaching assistants
Postgraduate research students are encouraged to gain experience in teaching by
acting as tutorial assistants, especially for introductory undergraduate courses in
Anthropology. This work is paid per hour of student contact, and can be a valuable
source of additional income for students with insufficient means of alternative
support. For registered full-time students, the recommended maximum teaching load
is three contact hours per week. Once the time spent in preparation and marking
20
assignments has been factored in, the actual hours per week, on average, are
approximately double the contact hours. In addition, the University provides training
courses for tutorial teaching assistants for which attendance is mandatory. We
normally suggest that students delay working as teaching assistants until their postfieldwork/writing up year.
Extensions to the period of study and late submissions
The completion of the thesis within the prescribed period of study is crucial. Timely
completion is an important indicator not just of individual achievement but also of the
performance of the Department as a whole, and a satisfactory rate of submission is
prerequisite to securing future funding for postgraduate research. We encourage all
students to consider this as a matter of priority in their research planning from
the very beginning, and not to commit themselves to research objectives that will
take them beyond these limits.
Students registered prior to 1 August 2010 are, though, permitted an additional 12
month ’extension period’ (previously called ‘writing-up period’) for completion of
the thesis, provided it does not run contrary to the requirements of their funding body.
Changes to regulations for research postgraduate, approved by Senate on 10 February
2010, mean that students registered after 1 August 2010 are not automatically
permitted a 12 month “extension period” and must instead apply for a period of
extension.
Extensions can be granted up to a maximum of 12 months in the first instance, but the
combined period of supervised study and Extension Period will not normally exceed
the following:
i) PhD 48 months (for previously full-time students) or 72 months (for
previously part-time students).
ii) MPhil - 36 months (for previously full-time students) or 42 months (for
previously part-time students).
Beyond this period, extensions will only be permitted in light of extraordinary
circumstances. The extension form must be signed by your supervisor(s) and
submitted to the School Postgraduate Secretary, and can be found at:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/documents/2010/postgraduateresearchstudentext
ensionperiod.doc
The Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate) may, on the application of the
candidate, extend the period of study and grant an “exceptional extension”, but will
not do so without good cause. Extensions beyond the above limits will only be
granted in exceptional circumstances: namely, where the candidate’s work has been
hampered by medical or personal or unexpected academic circumstances or
exceptional circumstances arising from employment for which supporting
documentary evidence can be made available (see below for examples of what may
constitute exceptional circumstances). Students submitting an application for an
“exceptional extension” must, again, demonstrate clear evidence of progress and must
submit a thesis plan giving target dates for completion of each chapter.
21
In no case will any extension be approved beyond the following maximum
periods of study, which include the supervised period of study:
i) PhD - 60 months (for previously full-time students) or 84 months (for previously
part-time students);
ii) MPhil - 48 months (for previously full-time students) or 66 months (for previously
part-time students);
Other Masters 36 months (for previously full-time students) or 48 months (for
previously part-time students) .
The following circumstances are typical of what may be considered grounds for
applying an exceptional extension or a suspension of studies. The circumstances will
either prevent the student from working altogether or severely affect his/her ability to
work effectively.
a. Serious physical or mental illness of the student;
b. Death/serious illness of a partner, close family member or close friend;
c. Unforeseeable or unpreventable events such as distress or injury caused by a
serious accident; the affects of being a victim of a criminal act or the distress
or serious disruption caused by fire, flood or other natural catastrophe;
d. Serious personal problems such as relationship problems, family crises;
e. Unexpected changes to the student’s source of funding (NB: students must
ensure that they have the necessary funds before embarking on their degree).
f. Breakdown of essential equipment where a student is unable to continue
research and the use of alternative equipment is not possible;
g. Delays in obtaining ethical approval where approval has been sought in good
time;
h. Jury service; military service;
i. Maternity or adoption leave;
j. Delays in progress due to unforeseen problems with the degree programme
and/or working environment (e.g. moving of offices/buildings, supervisor(s)
changes and unavailability etc.) which are outside of the student’s control.
(NB: the problem must be reported to the appropriate School or College
Graduate School at the time it occurs);
k. Study leave necessary for the degree programme (other than official leave of
absence for study at an approved institution or fieldwork – see section 5);
l. Internship/work placement necessary for the degree programme.
The following circumstances will not be regarded as grounds for applying for any
extension or a suspension of studies:
a. The student or supervisor was unaware of policy and application procedures
for interruptions and/or extensions for postgraduate degrees. It is ultimately
the student‟s responsibility to ensure that they are aware of all policies and
procedures relevant to their degree;
b. Further primary research and/or laboratory work;
c. Long-term holidays/vacations;
22
d. Inadequate planning and time management;
e. Normal pregnancy (excluding statutory maternity leave entitlement);
f. Difficulties with English language (including delays as a result of proof
reading);
g. Computer or other equipment failure or theft where use of an alternative is
possible or any loss of work was avoidable, except where the work is lost
through the failure of University of Aberdeen systems as confirmed by School
or University of Aberdeen IT department;
h. Change in employment conditions: requests from part-time students who are
working while studying may exceptionally be considered where a change in
employment conditions was unforeseen. This will not normally be an
acceptable reason for students in the submission pending or resubmission
periods.
In addition to the above, the following circumstance will not be regarded as grounds
for applying for an extension:
i. Circumstances encountered during supervised study, which should have been
dealt with at the time.
The final decision on whether a suspension or an extension is granted or not is at the
discretion of the College Postgraduate Officer on behalf of the Academic Standards
Committee (Postgraduate).
Students submitting without approved extension
Without an approved extension, a student will not be permitted to register.
Nevertheless, students may be able to submit a thesis for examination if they are still
within the maximum period of study for their degree but have not been granted an
extension as they have not demonstrated exceptional circumstances for an extension
to be awarded. A student submitting within the maximum period of study, who has
commenced their study after 1 August 2010, and who does not have an approved
extension will be liable for a fee of £500 upon submission. This fee must be paid
before the thesis can be examined.
Students submitting outside maximum periods of study
A student who is beyond the maximum period of study for their research degree, will
not be permitted to register. Such a student will not normally be permitted to submit a
thesis for examination, and may only do so if the thesis is bound and ready to submit
and permission has been given by a College Postgraduate Officer on the
recommendation of the relevant School. For students who commenced study after 1
August 2010, a fee will be payable on submission of the thesis. This fee will be onethird of the Home/EU full-time tuition fee rate for the academic year in which the
student is submitting their thesis.
Funding Body Deadlines
Those students funded by research councils must also abide by the submission
deadlines provided by those bodies. Such details are provided to the grant recipient
alone, and students should not assume that supervisors have been made aware of
23
them. They are in certain circumstances different from the University’s own
deadlines: in such cases, students should plan to abide by the earlier deadline.
Regulations concerning the submission and examination of theses, and the award
of the degree
General Regulations for Postgraduate Study are outlined in the brochure which is sent
on admission. This has information on fees and expenses, regulations for the
preparation and submission of theses, and examinations. The information in this
brochure is taken from the University Calendar, which is available for students to
consult in the Library and in all Departmental Offices. It can also be viewed on:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/calendar/postgraduate.php
Some selective features of the general University regulations on postgraduate research
are reproduced below:
University Regulations for Length and Format of Theses
Every thesis submitted for a higher degree must contain, either at the beginning or at
the end, a summary of its salient points.
It must be accompanied by a separate abstract not exceeding 300 words in length and
contained on a single side of paper (International Paper size A4); the abstract should
be the original typed script and should show the author and title of the thesis in the
form of a heading (the University reserves the right to publish this abstract and the
title of the thesis and to authorise others to do so as it see fit).
It must be typewritten or printed on paper measuring approximately either 210 by 297
mm (International Paper size A4) or 10 x 8 inches, be bound, and be lodged in
duplicate with the Secretary of to the University (if the thesis or any part of the work
submitted is typewritten, one of the copies lodged must be the top copy, and both
must be clearly legible and capable of photographic reproduction).
It must be accompanied by a declaration signed by the candidate that the thesis has
been composed by him/herself, that is has not been accepted in any previous
application for a degree, that the work of which it is a record has been done by
him/herself, and any personal data has been processed in accordance with the
provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984, and that all quotations have been
distinguished by quotation marks and sources of information specifically
acknowledged.
It must be accompanied by a form, available from the Secretary’s Office, stating any
limitations upon the inter-library loan or reprographic copying of the thesis that the
candidate wishes to impose, should the thesis be sustained. (No limitation shall be for
a period greater than five years from the date of submission.)
Theses must normally be written in English, as must the summary and abstract.
Unless special permission of the appropriate Postgraduate Officer is obtained (such
permission being granted only on the grounds of the exceptional nature of the subject
matter) no PhD thesis may exceed 100,000 words in length including appendices but
24
excluding footnotes, bibliographies, statistical and computational compilations and
analogous illustrative material (maps, facsimile documents, etc.). The word limit for
an MPhil thesis is 70,000 words.
University Regulations for Lodging and Borrowing of Theses
Every thesis sustained shall be deposited in duplicate in the University Library and
shall be the property of the University, but the copyright shall belong to the candidate.
The general conditions under which a thesis may be consulted, borrowed or copied
shall be determined by the Librarian under authority of the Library Committee, but
shall comply with any instructions given by the candidate regarding inter-library loans
and reprographic copying. Theses are normally made available for consultation. The
Librarian will however withhold a thesis from consultation if requested to do so by
the Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate) under specified circumstances.
When a thesis is deposited in the Library the Librarian shall insert in it a statement of
the conditions of its availability. Every person consulting or borrowing the thesis shall
be required by the Librarian by means of a written undertaking to conform to the
provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This allows copying from
the thesis for the purpose of research or private study but prohibits publication of the
whole or any substantial part of the thesis without the copyright owner’s consent, and
the use of quotations etc. from the thesis without proper acknowledgement.
The Process of Examination
When the thesis is nearing completion, the student should agree a schedule of
completion dates with the supervisors making due allowance for the reading of the
thesis in near-final draft form and for the time needed to arrange the examination. The
thesis will be read by two examiners. There will be one internal examiner, usually a
member of the Department who has not been involved in the process of supervision.
The external examiner will be a senior scholar from outside this University, who is a
specialist in the topic explored in the thesis. If the candidate is a member of the
academic staff of the University there will be two external examiners and no internal
examiner. The choice of examiners will be made by the Head of Department in
consultation with the supervisory committee. The supervisors will be invited to
propose the names of potential examiners.
When the two examiners have read the thesis, an oral examination will be held with
the candidate. The examination will be chaired by the internal examiner.
The Award of a PhD
The examiners are required to make one of several possible recommendations. This
may be communicated verbally to the candidate at the oral examination, but must be
made in writing to the Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate). This body,
having considered the reports of all the examiners appointed, may, (i) recommend to
the Senate that the thesis be sustained, or (ii) decide that though it is unable to
recommend that the thesis be sustained, the candidate may resubmit it in a revised
form within a stated period which shall not exceed twelve months, or (iii) recommend
that a candidate whose thesis does not meet the requirements of the PhD may be
permitted to resubmit it for the award of the MPhil, or (iv) decide that it is unable to
25
recommend to the Senate that the thesis be sustained. On receipt of the Academic
Standards Committee’s (Postgraduate) recommendation the Senate shall decide
whether the thesis shall be approved and the degree awarded.
When resubmission is recommended, both the candidate and the supervisors should
be notified in writing as to the nature and extent of the required revision. In the event
of a recommendation for the award of a lower degree or a rejection, a statement of the
reasons for the recommendations will be given to the candidate and the supervisors.
If the reports of the examiners do not substantially agree regarding the merits of the
thesis, the Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate) may recommend the
appointment of a further examiner, who shall be an external examiner appointed by
the University Court.
The Award of an MPhil
The requirement for the award of a Master’s degree is lower than that for a PhD as is
the number of words (see above). The regulations relating to the award of an MPhil
state:
The Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate) shall not recommend that a thesis
be approved unless it is satisfied, having considered the reports of the examiners,
either that it displays evidence of originality or that it is a satisfactory, orderly, and
critical exposition of existing knowledge within the field concerned.
Appeals Procedures
Any student who wishes to appeal against the decision of the examiners should lodge
that appeal with the Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate) through the
University Postgraduate Office. The appeal will be heard by the Senate Postgraduate
Academic Appeals Committee. This Committee will not explore the academic merits
of the thesis or the views of the examiners, but will confine its investigation to the
procedures and processes of supervision and examination.
Plagiarism and Turn-it-in
The University’s Code of Practice on Student Discipline identifies academic and
other forms of plagiarism as a form of cheating: specifically, the misrepresentation of
others’ work as your own as a means to attaining a degree or other qualification.
Plagiarism here is defined as:
“...the use, without adequate acknowledgment, of the intellectual work of another
person in work submitted for assessment. A student cannot be found to have
committed plagiarism where it can be shown that the student has taken all
reasonable care to avoid representing the work of others as his or her own.” (Code
of Practice on Student Discipline, Article 2.1.1)
Many sections of the University, including the School of Social Sciences and the
Department of Anthropology, employ TurnitinUK plagiarism detection software.
TurnitinUK is an online service which compares student assignments with online
sources including web pages, databases of reference material, and content previously
26
submitted by other users across the UK. The software makes no decision as to
whether plagiarism has occurred; it is simply a tool which highlights sections of
text that have been found in other sources thereby helping academic staff decide
whether plagiarism has occurred. Further information on TurnitinUK and instructions
on how to submit an assignment to TurnitinUK can be obtained from the following
area of the Student Learning Service website: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism/.
These pages provide information and advice on avoiding plagiarism including the
University’s Definition of Plagiarism, a Checklist for Students, Referencing and
Citing as well as information on TurnitinUK.
Prima facie cases of plagiarism are dealt with through a committee and hearing
system under the authority of the Head of the College of Arts and Social Sciences and
chaired by a senior member of the University Senate. Students that are the subject of
plagiarism allegations shall be informed in writing of the allegations made against
him or her and will be asked to attend a hearing of a Disciplinary Committee,
normally with notice of at least 28 days. The Committee may adjourn the hearing to a
later date on the application of the graduate if the interests of justice would be served
thereby.
Where allegations of plagiarism are deemed to be well-founded, such committees has
the power to impose one of three penalties: (i) a written reprimand, with appropriate
advice on how to avoid a recurrence of the situation in which the graduate has found
himself/herself; (ii) that the award concerned be rescinded; or (iii) that the award be
rescinded but that the work be reassessed with the possibility of a lower award being
made. In (ii) and (iii) above, and only when the Disciplinary Committee’s decision
has not been overturned as a consequence of any appeal (Sections 7 and 8 below,
refer), where the plagiarism relates to an Honours dissertation or postgraduate thesis,
the relevant University School, the University Library and the British Library, as
appropriate, will be informed of the decision and asked to remove copies of the
dissertation or thesis in question from their holdings.
It is essential that students fully understand the regulations pertaining to
plagiarism, and the significance of those regulations for their own work. If students
are unsure about the details of these regulations should discuss their concerns with
the departmental co-ordinator on plagiarism and student discipline, Dr. Alison
Brown.
ANTHROPOLOGY STAFF AND CONTACT DETAILS
Programme Directors
Director of Postgraduate Programmes in Social Anthropology: Dr Nancy
Wachowich, Department of Anthropology, Edward Wright Building (G3), Phone
3203, n.wachowich@abdn.ac.uk
Director of the School of Social Science Postgraduate Training Programme: Dr.
Andrew McKinnon, Department of Sociology, Edward Wright Building, Phone 2723,
andrew.mckinnon@abdn.ac.uk
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Head of Department
Dr. Martin Mills, Department of Anthropology, Edward Wright Building (G1), Phone
2622, m.a.mills@abdn.ac.uk
Departmental Staff
Unless otherwise specified, the offices of all Anthropology staff are located on the
Ground Floor of the Edward Wright Building, Block C.
Professor David Anderson
Professor David Anderson, Chair in The Anthropology of the North, Department of
Anthropology (G5) Phone 2772, david.anderson@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Tatiana Argounova-Low, Department of Anthropology, (G15), Phone 3591, email
t.argounova-low@abdn.ac.uk
Dr. Margaret Bolton, Department of Anthropology, (G19), Phone 2731,
maggie.bolton@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Alison Brown, Department of Anthropology, (G20)
Phone 4355, alison.brown@abdn.ac.uk
Mr Neil Curtis, Kings Museum, High Street, Old Aberdeen, Phone 4301, email
neil.curtis@abdn.ac.uk
Prof Tim Ingold, Chair in Social Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, (G6),
Phone 4350, tim.ingold@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Alex King, Department of Anthropology, (G2), Phone 2732, a.king@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Martin Mills, of Anthropology, (G1), Phone 2622, m.a.mills@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Johan Rasanayagam, Department of Anthropology, (G18),
johan.rasanayagam@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Jo Vergunst, Department of Anthropology, (G20), Phone 2738,
j.vergunst@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Nancy Wachowich, Department of Anthropology, (G3), Phone 3203,
n.wachowich@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Andrew Whitehouse, Department of Anthropology, (G17). Phone 2950,
a.whitehouse@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Robert Wishart, Department of Anthropology, (G20), r.p.wishart@abdn.ac.uk
Anthropologists in other Departments
Dr Trevor Stack, Hispanic Studies, Taylor Building (A41), Phone 2543, email
t.stack@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Will Tuladhar-Douglas, Divinity and Religious Studies, King’s College, phone
2274 email w.t.douglas@abnd.ac.uk
Secretarial and administrative staff
Secretary for Postgraduate Programmes, School of Social Science: Alyson Millar,
Edward Wright Building (F48), Phone 2762, email a.millar@abdn.ac.uk
(working hours, Mondays and Tuesdays, 8:00am - 5:00pm).
Secretary for Anthropology, School of Social Science: Jill Davis, Edward Wright
Building (F48), Phone 3124, email j.davis@abdn.ac.uk
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Executive Assistant, School of Social Science: Elaine Brown, Edward Wright
Building (F47)
School Administrator, School of Social Science: Pam Thomson, Edward Wright
Building (F46), Phone 2275, email pam.thomson@abdn.ac.uk.
Supervising Staff in Anthropology
David G. Anderson, Professor in the Anthropology of the North
Prof. Anderson was appointed in January 2000 to contribute to the Department’s
programme in the Anthropology of the North. He has conducted fieldwork in Central
and Eastern Siberia (Taimyr, Evenkiia, Pribaikal’e, Zabaikal’e, Iakutiia) and the
Russian North (Kola, Arkhangel’sk), Northern Norway, and Northwestern Canada
(Gwich’in Settlement Region). He has wide ranging interests in political ecology,
human-animal relations, development theory, political anthropology, landscape
studies, ethnohistory, archaeology, history of science, and cross-cultural ideas of
health. From 2012-2017 he is leading a major research project – Arctic Domus - to
compare alternate models of human-animal relations and domestication across the
circumpolar Arctic.
Tatiana Argounova-Low, Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Tatiana Argounova-Low received her PhD in Social Anthropology from the
University of Cambridge and continues her research of the boundaries of ethnic
identity in Eastern Siberia. She is engaged in research among urban and rural Sakha,
Evenki and Yessei Yakuts, where she explores the issues of migration and identity
since the fall of the Soviet Union. Her current projects are focused on mobility and
roads, exploring various aspects surrounding roads and travelling along them. In this
study she centers her attention on issues of working and living along roads, how roads
affect the movement, relationship between roads and other concepts, such as
narrative, knowledge, time and memory. She is particularly interested in
anthropological conceptualization and interpretation of road phenomenon through
dynamic engagement with the environment.
Arnar Árnason, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Arnar Árnason joined the Department of Anthropology in September 2004. He has
carried out ethnographic fieldwork in Japan, Iceland, Scotland and England. His
research has revolved around issues of subjectivity and power, culture and identities,
loss and development, memory and forgetting which he has addressed through three
separate but overlapping research projects. The first focuses on contemporary forms
of the management and experience of death, grief and mourning in Iceland, Japan and
the UK. The second concerns the emergence and implications of the new genomics in
Iceland. The third concerns the politics and experience of speed (of both transport and
information), loss and landscape in Iceland and Scotland.
Alison Brown, Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Alison Brown received her D.Phil. in 2001. She is a museum anthropologist whose
research addresses the intersecting histories of people, photographs and artefacts. Her
focus is on materials gathered from First Nations from the Canadian Prairies now in
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UK collections and she has worked principally with Blackfoot people to explore local
ways of interpreting material and cultural histories. She is also interested in the
material, visual and oral records of the fur trade, and has undertaken research in
northern Manitoba, Canada, and Orkney and the northeast of Scotland on this topic.
She would be interested in supervising students working in these areas and on topics
related to museums and the production of knowledge broadly.
Margaret Bolton, Teaching Fellow
Margaret Bolton received her PhD from St. Andrews in 2001 and joined Aberdeen in
2009. She undertakes long-term fieldwork among the people of Sud Lípez in
southwest Bolivia. Her main focus of interest is the intersection of universal
scientific knowledge frameworks and local ways of understanding animals, humananimal relations and the land. Her work concerns issues of development, the state,
technology and expertise and how these impact on the lives of indigenous people and
she has recently started research into adult education programmes aimed at rural
Bolivians. She has also carried out ethnohistorical research into silver mining in Sud
Lípez province in the colonial era and maintains an interest in materials, technology
and their relation to the exercise of political power in the Andes
Neil Curtis, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, Head of Museums
Neil Curtis is the university's Head of Museums and was previously Senior Curator in
the university's Marischal Museum. He has studied archaeology, museum studies and
education. His main interests are in the ways people understand and manipulate their
world through ideas of identity, material and time, particularly through a critical study
of museums and archaeology. This has included practice, research and publication on
young children’s learning in museums, the uses of archaeology in education, the study
of museum practices in the long 19th century and investigations of current museum
practice, particularly repatriation.
Tim Ingold, Professor of Social Anthropology
Tim Ingold was appointed to the University’s newly established Chair of Social
Anthropology in September 1999. He has carried out ethnographic research among
Saami and Finnish people in Lapland, and has written extensively on comparative
questions of environment, technology and social organisation in the circumpolar
North, as well as on evolutionary theory in anthropology, biology and history, on the
role of animals in human society, and on issues in human ecology. His recent research
concerned the anthropology of technology and aspects of environmental perception.
His current work explores the comparative anthropology of lines and line-making, as
well as issues on the interface between anthropology, archaeology, art and
architecture.
Alexander King, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology
Alex King is a linguistic anthropologist working on the intersection of language use in
culture and society in Siberia and the circumpolar north. His recent book is an
ethnography of speaking about Koryak traditions and culture in northern Kamchatka.
He has supervised dissertations set in places such as Romania, Karelia (NW Russia)
and Alaska, as well as Siberia. His current projects focus on storytelling practices,
language shift & revival, and the connections between ritual communication and
shamanic cosmology.
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Martin Mills, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology
Martin Mills completed his doctorate on the anthropology of Tibetan religious
communities in 1997 and is author of Identity, Ritual and State in Tibetan Buddhism
(Routledge 2003). His ethnographic research focuses on the anthropology of ritual
and religion, in particular the formation of ritualised landscapes and the historical
development of theocratic states.
Johan Rasanayagam, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Johan Rasanayagam gained his PhD in 2002. He has conducted research in
Uzbekistan, Central Asia and his research interests include Islam and Muslim
societies, and the anthropology of politics and the state. He has published on morality
and Muslim selfhood, the phenomenon of spirit possession, and the relation of Islam
and the state in Central Asia
Jo Vergunst, Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Jo Vergunst’s research is about social aspects of landscape. It focuses on forms of
perception, especially through walking, and on the politics of land ownership, access
and use. He is interested in connecting the phenomenology of landscape with politics
and social dynamics. His doctoral fieldwork was undertaken in Orkney, Scotland, and
current research is on the links between environmental art and anthropology
(involving fieldwork in Greenland) and on rural and urban environmental change in
Scotland and Europe.
Nancy Wachowich, Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Nancy Wachowich completed her doctorate in anthropology in 2001. Her
ethnographic research is located mostly in the Canadian High Arctic and draws on
fields of historical anthropology, oral traditions, visual anthropology, museum studies
and media studies. She writes on the history of colonialism, the interplay between
western and indigenous knowledge systems, historiography, and on the construction
and invocation of traditions. Her current research explores the politics of storytelling
through Inuit video art, handicrafts, museums displays, and colonial
autobiographies.
Andrew Whitehouse, Teaching Fellow
Andrew Whitehouse received his doctorate from St. Andrews, and is interested in
environmental anthropology and the anthropology of Britain. He has conducted
research into the contested relationships between farming and conservation on the
Scottish island of Islay. More recently he has investigated the ways that people listen
to birds and the significance of their sounds. He is interested in environmental
perception, nature conservation, human-animal relations, sound and landscape.
Robert Wishart, Lecturer in Social Anthropology
Rob Wishart completed his doctorate in anthropology at the University of Alberta,
Canada and joined the department in September 2003 as a postdoctoral researcher,
then as an RCUK Fellow, and was appointed to lecturer in 2010. His ethnographic
work has been on the Gwich’in-Dene of the Mackenzie Delta in Northern Canada and
with the Ojibwe of Ontario. His research is on the political and economic
relationships between settlers, development interests and indigenous peoples of the
North and how these relationships have been used in various discourses and (mis-)
represented in state policy. Specific areas of interest include narrative, aboriginal
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rights, wildlife management, forestry, fisheries, and energy development. He also has
an interest in Scottish coastal fisheries and the law of the sea.
Further information
Inquiries about the MPhil and PhD Programmes should be addressed, in the first
instance, to Mrs Alyson Millar, School of Social Science (phone 01224-272762,
email a.millar@abdn.ac.uk).
Further details about the Department of Anthropology are available from the
University’s website, at the following address:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/anthropology.
General information for postgraduate applicants (including an online application
form) can be found at:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/postgraduate/apply.shtml
The Postgraduate Prospectus can be accessed at:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/pr